Bean Landraces Research Articles

Origin and diversity study of local common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) germplasm from Serbia: phaseolin and phenotyping approach

Phenotypic diversity of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) landraces and reference cultivars were evaluated based on variability of twelve traits, chosen according to international descriptor list. Landraces were collected form 53 locations in Republic of Serbia. Origin and dissemination of local common bean germplasm was assessed based on variation of phaseolin types. Phaseolin analysis showed that landraces of both Mesoamerican and Andean origin are grown in Serbia, with higher frequency of Andean types. Ratio of three phaseolin types found in studied common bean germplasm suggested its introduction in Serbia from northern borders. Shannon–Weaver index was used as indicator of phenotypic diversity, showing high diversity level among studied germplasm. HOMALS analysis was performed in order to determine discriminative power of traits and structure of studied germplasm. Seed and flower traits, as well as growth habit type had highest, opposed to phaseolin type with lowest discriminative power among genotypes. Genotypes were phenotypically individualized and classified in five homogenous groups according to their profiles, displaying differentiation on the gene pool level, as well.

Molecular characterization and insights into the origin of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) landraces of north western Himalayas

Common bean is the principal grain legume of North-India including Jammu & Kashmir and Ladhak. Owing to its high protein content, abundance of various micronutrients and essential amino acids and low cost, it is sometimes referred to as poor man’s meat. It is a very diverse crop and presents a rich reservoir of genetic resource to be explored. In the present study, we collected 102 common bean genotypes from different north western Himalayan regions of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. This germplasm was then systematically purified and then characterised using SSRs. In order to examine the genetic diversity, various parameters were considered. The PIC values for the SSR loci ranged from 0.738 to 0.966 with an average of 0.899. The gene diversity between common bean genotypes ranged from 0.751 to 0.967. The major allele frequency ranged from 0.076 to 0.469 and the expected heterozygosity ranged from 0 to 0.135. Further, model based STRUCTURE analysis generated three subpopulations that correspond to distance based groups. Furthermore, the PCR assay for phaseolin locus led to the characterization of 81 genotypes into Meso-American and Andean types. Out of 81 genotypes, 40 possessed “S” type phaseolin and 41 possess “T” type phaseolin. The results of this study revealed the origin of common bean landraces grown in the north western regions of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, India. The characterised material can be planned for conservation and can further be used as a genetic resource for improvement of common bean.

3D imaging of bean seeds: Correlations between hilum region structures and hydration kinetics

X-ray micro-CT imaging has been applied successfully in food science and seed research due to its capacity to provide very small details of seed traits that are very complex to score. The micropyle and the tissues of the hilum region of bean seeds are recognized as structures which play an important role in hydration process. This latter influences, in turn, not only germination but also the cooking and industrial processing. Nevertheless, the role of each structure of the bean seeds is yet to be fully understood. Moreover such traits are never been quantified by using 3D imaging approaches.In this work, seeds of four ancient Italian landraces of beans have been scanned by X-ray microCT with a twofold approach: bulk scans for whole seed imaging and single seed scans for internal traits measurements. Then water uptake tests have been performed. The different structures composing the hilum region of the beans have been imaged and characterized. The two-dimensional and the three-dimensional morphometric traits have been correlated with parameters of hydration models by Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Pearson coefficients.Micropyle groove area was the trait most influencing the very initial hydration rates while the hilum groove area was the best correlated with the overall infiltration behavior. The internal free space was the trait best correlated with the moisture at equilibrium. Moreover, strophiole shape resulted the most suitable internal trait for univocal identification of the four landraces.Overall results give a contribution to the understanding of the role of hilum region structures in bean seeds hydration process and show novel morphological traits useful for identification of local bean landraces.

Transcriptomic Response to Water Deficit Reveals a Crucial Role of Phosphate Acquisition in a Drought-Tolerant Common Bean Landrace.

Drought is one of the most critical factors limiting legume crop productivity. Understanding the molecular mechanisms of drought tolerance in the common bean is required to improve the yields of this important crop under adverse conditions. In this work, RNA-seq analysis was performed to compare the transcriptome profiles of drought-stressed and well-irrigated plants of a previously characterized drought-tolerant common bean landrace. The analysis revealed responses related with the abscisic acid signaling, including downregulation of a phosphatase 2C (PP2C) and an abscisic acid-8′ hydroxylase, and upregulation of several key transcription factors and genes involved in cell wall remodeling, synthesis of osmoprotectants, protection of photosynthetic apparatus, and downregulation of genes involved in cell expansion. The results also highlighted a significant proportion of differentially expressed genes related to phosphate starvation response. In addition, the moderate detrimental effects of drought in the biomass of these tolerant plants were abolished by the addition of phosphate, thus indicating that, besides the ABA-mediated response, acquisition of phosphate could be crucial for the drought tolerance of this common bean genotype. These results provided information about the mechanisms involved in drought response of common bean response that could be useful for enhancing the drought tolerance of this important crop legume.

Agro-morphological Diversity of High Altitude Bean Landraces in the Kailash Sacred Landscape of Nepal

Many varieties of bean are widely grown across diverse agro-ecological zones in Nepal. And opportunities exist for improving the crops and enhancing their resilience to various biotic and abiotic stressors. In this context, an experiment was conducted from June to October 2016 in Khar VDC of Darchula district to study the phenotypic traits of nine landraces of bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.). The bean landraces were planted using randomized complete block design in three sites (Dhamidera, Dallekh and Sundamunda villages), with three replications in each site for their comparative analysis. The study considered the following phenotypic traits: days to emergence, days to 50% flowering, days to 90% pod maturity, number of nodes, pod length, pod width, number of pods, number of seeds per pod and weight and grain yield for 100 seeds. Kruskal-Wallis test showed significant differences in the landraces both within and among locations. KA-17-08-FB and KA-17-04-FB were late flowering (63 and 65 days respectively) compared to other landraces whereas KA-17-07-FB flowered earliest (within 42 days). In all three sites, three landraces namely KA-17-07-FB, KA-17-04-FB and KA-17-06-FB were found to be relatively more resistant to pest and diseases than other landraces. Eight out of nine landraces in Dhamidera and Dallekh villages and seven out of nine in Sundamunda village produced seeds greater than 1.0 t/ha. Among the nine varieties KA-17-02-FB was the highest yielding variety, with an average yield of 3.8 t/ha. This study is useful for identifying suitable landraces for future promotion based on their maturity, grain yield, diseases resistance and other qualitative and quantitative characteristics.

Serendipitous In Situ Conservation of Faba Bean Landraces in Tunisia: A Case Study

Cultivation of faba bean (Vicia faba L.) in Tunisia is largely based on improved varieties of the crop. However, a few farmers continue to produce local cultivars or landraces. The National Gene Bank of Tunisia (NGBT) recently launched a collection project for faba bean landraces, with special focus on the regions of the North West, traditionally devoted to cultivating grain legumes, and where around 80% of the total national faba bean cultivation area is located. The seed phenotypic features of the collected samples were studied, and the genetic diversity and population structure analyzed using simple sequence repeat markers. The genetic constitution of the present samples was compared to that of faba bean samples collected by teams of the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) in the 1970s in the same region, and stored at the ICARDA gene bank. The results of the diversity analysis demonstrate that the recently collected samples and those stored at ICARDA largely overlap, thus demonstrating that over the past 50 years, little genetic change has occurred to the local faba bean populations examined. These findings suggest that farmers serendipitously applied international best practices for in situ conservation of agricultural crops.

Primary Evaluation of Seed Characteristics of Common Bean Landraces Collected from Himalaya Region of Pakistan

Primary Evaluation of Seed Characteristics of Common Bean Landraces Collected from Himalaya Region of Pakistan

Uncovering Phenotypic Diversity and DArTseq Marker Loci Associated with Antioxidant Activity in Common Bean.

Antioxidants play an important role in animal and plant life owing to their involvement in complex metabolic and signaling mechanisms, hence uncovering the genetic basis associated with antioxidant activity is very important for the development of improved varieties. Here, a total of 182 common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) landraces and six commercial cultivars collected from 19 provinces of Turkey were evaluated for seed antioxidant activity under four environments and two locations. Antioxidant activity was measured using ABTS radical scavenging capacity and mean antioxidant activity in common bean landraces was 20.03 µmol TE/g. Analysis of variance reflected that genotype by environment interaction was statistically non-significant and heritability analysis showed higher heritability of antioxidant activity. Variations in seed color were observed, and a higher antioxidant activity was present in seeds having colored seed as compared to those having white seeds. A negative correlation was found between white-colored seeds and antioxidant activity. A total of 7900 DArTseq markers were used to explore the population structure that grouped the studied germplasm into two sub-populations on the basis of their geographical origins and trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity contents. Mean linkage disequilibrium (LD) was 54%, and mean LD decay was 1.15 Mb. Mixed linear model i.e., the Q + K model demonstrated that four DArTseq markers had significant association (p < 0.01) for antioxidant activity. Three of these markers were present on chromosome Pv07, while the fourth marker was located on chromosome Pv03. Among the identified markers, DArT-3369938 marker showed maximum (14.61%) variation. A total of four putative candidate genes were predicted from sequences reflecting homology to identified DArTseq markers. This is a pioneering study involving the identification of association for antioxidant activity in common bean seeds. We envisage that this study will be very helpful for global common bean breeding community in order to develop cultivars with higher antioxidant activity.

Improving the Conservation and Use of Traditional Germplasm through Breeding for Local Adaptation: The Case of the Castellfollit del Boix Common Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) Landrace

The dramatic reduction in the diversity of crops in the last century is often attributed to the consolidation of scientific breeding, probably because the two processes have occurred at the same time. We carried out a breeding program to enhance the Castellfollit del Boix landrace of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) in a low-input environment to determine the effects of breeding on a landrace at risk of disappearing. The program increased the number of accessions conserved ex situ and obtained more efficient genotypes that are less likely to be abandoned by farmer without altering the characteristics that consumers appreciate most. As a result, the availability of the product, its promotion, and its use have increased. We propose a Conservation Potential Index to measure the impact of changes in the crop’s epiphenotype, and also apply it to a set of landraces from several crops. We argue that scientific breeding and information gathered in the context of genetic improvement programs can help to conserve biodiversity when they aim to adapt materials to different local environments, rather than having a negative impact on the biodiversity of crops. This approach contrasts with the genetic erosion that results from efforts to homogenize environments by increasing inputs, so that a few improved varieties adapted to these environments can be grown.

Physiological diversity in Brazilian common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) landraces based on selection index

Common bean landraces represent heterogeneous, local adaptations of domesticated species, and thereby provide genetic resources that meet current and new challenges for farming. These local ecotypes can show variable phenology and low-to-moderate edible yield, however, they are highly nutritious. Therefore, strategies to stimulate the conservation of this genetic diversity are important. The maintenance of seed germination potential is also an important feature in the characterization of genetic diversity to conserve biodiversity. The main objective of this study was to discriminate common bean landrace cultivars available at Santa Catarina State University (UDESC) germplasm bank according to their seed physiological diversity and agronomic parameters (germination rate, viability, seed vigor, and seedling growth) and based on Mulamba and Mock selection index. There is a large physiological diversity in common bean landrace cultivars. BAF 112 and BAF 81, BAF 84, BAF 42, BAF 60, and BAF 75, were identified as more promising for the storage of the seeds under conventional conditions, being able to maintain the viability and vigor during storage. Mulamba and Mock selection index were capable of selecting superior cultivars with high physiological quality.

Yield and Quality of Faba Bean (Vicia faba L. var. major) Genotypes as a Vegetable for Fresh Consumption: A Comparison between Italian Landraces and Commercial Varieties

Legumes crops play significant roles both in human diets and agriculture, and contribute to sustainable farming. In this study, we evaluated both some quality traits and yield of four landraces (Cegliese, Iambola, San Francesco, and FV5) of faba bean (Vicia faba L. var. major Harz) for fresh consumption in order to assess and distinguish the landraces also in comparison with two commercial varieties (Aguadulce supersimonia and Extra-early purple) by using a crop system without irrigation. Independently of the genotype, we obtained the same pods yield (1794 g m−2) without affecting the seed size. All genotypes can be considered a good source of vitamin C, although Extra-early purple and San Francesco reveal the highest content (703 and 646 mg 100 g−1 fresh weight—FW, respectively). Cegliese showed the highest L-dopa content (10.14 mg 100 g−1 FW), suggesting its use as a natural rich source of L-dopa (dopamine precursor used for Parkinson’s disease treatment) instead of using synthesized L-dopa. In conclusion, this study highlight interesting quality traits of faba bean when consumed as fresh vegetables, suggesting its positive role on human health and the possibility of its production by using local horticultural systems that are skilled in optimizing resource utilization.

Türkiye’deki Islah Çalışmaları İçin Türk Fasulye Genetik Kaynaklarının Morfo-Agronomik ve Mineral İçerik Varyasyonlarının Belirlenmesi

Turkey is lavished with hundreds of common bean landraces. The present study was aimed to investigate the agronomic and mineral variations in 80 common bean landraces collected from 11 different provinces of Turkey. Genotypic variation expressed as a range for some traits like days to maturity (90-141 days), plant height (25.25-361.50 cm), 1000 seeds weight (140-633 g), Iron (66.48-128.05 mg kg-1), and Zinc (20.56-42.01 mg kg-1). Positive and highly significant correlation of Magnesium with Iron and Zinc was observed and analytic results derived from the first 3 eigenvectors suggested that days to pod setting, Zinc, and 1000 seeds weight were main variation contributing traits. Among the provinces, landraces from Tunceli performed well for agronomic traits and Malatya provinces landraces were found enrich for mineral traits. Landraces E-26 and S-19 reflected higher Fe and Zn contents, and higher yield, respectively. Cluster analysis divided the studied germplasm on the basis of plant height and geographic. Information provided herein can be helpful for the development of candidate varieties having higher yield with greater mineral contents.

Diversity and genetic potential of various morphological traits among common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris, Fabaceae) landraces

Abstract. Bareke T. 2019. Diversity and genetic potential of various morphological traits among common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris, Fabaceae) landraces. Biodiversitas 20: 3237-3245. The study was undertaken to identify the morphological diversity and genetic potential among landraces of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) at field conditions of Adama District, Ethiopia. Twenty four common bean landraces from different agroecological zones were collected and grown in three replications. Data of eight agromorphological descriptors were collected using IBPGR protocol. Accordingly, Zale wehy was significantly different (p&lt;0.05) from all landraces with the highest mean number of pods per plant. On the other hand, the mean number of seeds per pod was significantly (p&lt;0.05) higher for Dobole followed by Dima, Kalibushay and Adi tikko while Logoma dume has the lowest number of seeds per pod. The average number of seeds per pod had inverse relationship with seed size. The highest diversity was found in number of seed per plant among landraces while the lowest diversity was found in number of seed per pod. Based on morphological traits similarities among 24 landraces were classified into 4 major categories. Heritability was the highest for seed length (0.97) followed by number of seed per pod (0.94) and seed per plants (0.69) and the lowest (0.1) for height of plant and the rest found between these values. The variability observed in seed length, number of seeds per pod, number of seeds per plant and number of pods per plant which could be utilized in variety improvement programs. Therefore, crop breeders could give emphasis to these traits of landraces to monitor and use for the breeding program, future production and for other domestic purposes.

Higher Effectiveness of New Common Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) Germplasm Acquisition by Collecting Expeditions Associated with Molecular Analyses

A remarkable portion of crop genetic diversity is represented by landraces and obsolete cultivars, that have not yet been integrated into the collections of genetic resources in genebanks. Fortunately, they are still maintained by small farmers in rural areas. Their acquisition is an important goal for collecting expeditions, followed by the evaluation of their genetic background. Molecular markers are powerful tools to evaluate the effectiveness of acquisition of new genetic variants. This approach was used for common bean landraces, that were collected through expeditions in the Slovak and Ukrainian Carpathians. In this study, microsatellite markers, developed from expressed sequence tags, were used for genotyping the collected materials. The sub-population of collected landraces contained higher total and average number of different alleles in comparison to equally large sub-populations of already-maintained cultivars. The same was true for the Shannon’s information index, observed heterozygosity, and expected heterozygosity. Both sub-populations showed the presence of private alleles: Average values of 0.500 and 0.833 private alleles per genotype were detected in landraces, and cultivars, respectively. Obtained results emphasized the importance of collecting expeditions to specific regions where landraces are cultivated, even at the present time. The effectiveness of the acquisition of new genetic variability can be determined by molecular tools, as confirmed by microsatellite markers in this study.

Genotyping-by-Sequencing Reveals Molecular Genetic Diversity in Italian Common Bean Landraces

The common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is one of the main legumes worldwide and represents a valuable source of nutrients. Independent domestication events in the Americas led to the formation of two cultivated genepools, namely Mesoamerican and Andean, to which European material has been brought back. In this study, Italian common bean landraces were analyzed for their genetic diversity and structure, using single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers derived from genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) technology. After filtering, 11,866 SNPs were obtained and 798 markers, pruned for linkage disequilibrium, were used for structure analysis. The most probable number of subpopulations (K) was two, consistent with the presence of the two genepools, identified through the phaseolin diagnostic marker. Some landraces were admixed, suggesting probable hybridization events between Mesoamerican and Andean material. When increasing the number of possible Ks, the Andean germplasm appeared to be structured in two or three subgroups. The subdivision within the Andean material was also observed in a principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) plot and a dendrogram based on genetic distances. The Mesoamerican landraces showed a higher level of genetic diversity compared to the Andean landraces. Calculation of the fixation index (FST) at individual SNPs between the Mesoamerican and Andean genepools and within the Andean genepool evidenced clusters of highly divergent loci in specific chromosomal regions. This work may help to preserve landraces of the common bean from genetic erosion, and could represent a starting point for the identification of interesting traits that determine plant adaptation.

Phenotypic and genotypic screening of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) landraces for resistance to collar rot fungus (Sclerotium rolfsii Sacc.) in North of Iran

Collar rot or southern blight is a serious soil-borne disease in common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) at the North of Iran caused by the fungus Sclerotium rolfsii Sacc. which leads to intense yield reduction in a dwarf bean that is cultivated in Guilan Province. Thirty improved landraces of Guilan dwarf bean were exposed to the infectious disease with the most pathogenic isolate of S. rolfsii, to identify the resistant landraces. Disease Severity Index and some traits were evaluated in greenhouse experiments. Phenotypic screening of the genotypes after scoring and multivariate analysis showed one resistant (Pach-08), 21 tolerant or semi-susceptible and eight completely susceptible genotypes. Also, eight specific SCAR markers linked with resistance to collar rot disease were studied. It was shown that although all SCAR markers were able to identify the resistant genotype (Pach-08), only SMe1Em5 marker could separate susceptible and tolerant genotypes. There were significant relation between the trait “total damage per pot, 21 day” and three SCAR markers (Phs, SAU5, SF6EM3). Overall, indirect selection for resistance to collar rot disease in the Guilan dwarf bean can be achieved through the three SCAR markers.

Uma Avaliação dos componentes de produção em variedades crioulas de fava cultivadas no Agreste da Paraíba

The aims of this study were: (i) to evaluate the yield of lima bean landraces; (ii) to determine the dissimilarities among landraces of lima bean; and (iii) to assess linear correlations among the yield components of lima bean landraces grown on sandy soils of the Brazilian semi-arid. A field experiment was carried out using a randomized block design with eighteen treatments (nine lima bean landraces vs. two years of cultivation) with four blocks. We evaluated pod length and width, pods.plant-1, seeds.pod-1, one-hundred seed weight and yield. Cara Larga, Eucalipto, Rosinha and Roxinha landraces presented the highest values of pods.plant-1. Orelha de Vo presented the highest one-hundred seed weight and yield. Negative correlations were found between one-hundred seed weight, pod.plant-1 and seeds.pod-1. The yield components seeds.pod-1, one-hundred seed weight and pods.plant-1 are useful components to estimate yield of lima bean landraces.

Identification of loci controlling adaptation in Chinese soya bean landraces via a combination of conventional and bioclimatic GWAS.

SummaryLandraces often contain genetic diversity that has been lost in modern cultivars, including alleles that confer enhanced local adaptation. To comprehensively identify loci associated with adaptive traits in soya bean landraces, for example flowering time, a population of 1938 diverse landraces and 97 accessions of the wild progenitor of cultivated soya bean, Glycine soja was genotyped using tGBS®. Based on 99 085 high‐quality SNPs, landraces were classified into three sub‐populations which exhibit geographical genetic differentiation. Clustering was inferred from STRUCTURE, principal component analyses and neighbour‐joining tree analyses. Using phenotypic data collected at two locations separated by 10 degrees of latitude, 17 trait‐associated SNPs (TASs) for flowering time were identified, including a stable locus Chr12:5914898 and previously undetected candidate QTL/genes for flowering time in the vicinity of the previously cloned flowering genes, E1 and E2. Using passport data associated with the collection sites of the landraces, 27 SNPs associated with adaptation to three bioclimatic variables (temperature, daylength, and precipitation) were identified. A series of candidate flowering genes were detected within linkage disequilibrium (LD) blocks surrounding 12 bioclimatic TASs. Nine of these TASs exhibit significant differences in flowering time between alleles within one or more of the three individual sub‐populations. Signals of selection during domestication and/or subsequent landrace diversification and adaptation were detected at 38 of the 44 flowering and bioclimatic TASs. Hence, this study lays the groundwork to begin breeding for novel environments predicted to arise following global climate change.

Studies on genetic diversity of French bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) landraces of Himachal Pradesh based on morphological traits and molecular markers

The knowledge of the extent of underlying diversity in the germplasm can be effectively employed to breed desirable cultivars and to challenge the consequences of the unprecedented biological, physical and chemical stresses of the future growing conditions. In the present study, total 26 geographically diverse French bean genotypes collected from different agro-climatic zones of Himachal Pradesh and two check varieties viz., Baspa and Jawala were grown under randomized complete block design with three replications for deciphering the extent of genetic diversity. The extent of variability was assessed using DUS morphological traits and PCR based approach. Analysis of variance for quantitative traits showed significant differences among all the genotypes for all the characters studied. The genotypes RL-19 and RL-20 gave higher seed yield and performed better for many of the horticultural traits over all the checks. Further, 15 RAPD primers were used for scoring polymorphism at the DNA level. The French bean landraces produced 79 PCR fragments, of which 59 were polymorphic with an average of 3.93 polymorphic fragments per primer. The overall percentage of polymorphism was recorded 74.62 per cent. The average Jaccard similarity index among genotypes ranged from 0.48 to 0.98, thereby showing sufficient genetic variability. Geographical affiliations and morphological associations were observed while studying the genotypic patterns within each group i.e. A, B, C and D. Such variability is desirable in breeding programs. Which also reveal the inherent capacity of the community as a selector, conservator and improver of the potential genetic resource for sustainable future.

Monti Dauni district (Apulia region, southern Italy): an environment promoting on farm conservation of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) landraces

The results of the exploration missions for the gathering of legume germplasm in Monti Dauni district (southern Italy) are presented. The 52% of collected samples were common beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.), mainly white seeded types. Information acquired in the frame of different research areas, such as passport data, GIS data, historical documents on crop cultivation in the study district, were integrated data with orthophotos and satellite images. This interdisciplinary approach allowed to obtain a multidimensional data set for the collected local varieties. A similar holistic approach permits a better knowledge of the link between the local varieties and the traditional area of cultivation, as well as the contextualization of their cultivation in both space and time. The merger of different information overcomes the limits derived from the use of a single methodology and might support local communities and policy-makers in the planning of effective actions aimed to safeguard the autochthonous germplasm.